Friendship and Bravery
by Reticence
Summary: Hermione and Ron are in the stands watching the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. This is their thoughts and feelings while they anxiously wait for Harry to exit the maze.


Hey everybody. I know this has been done before, but I wanted to do it anyway and give it my own sort of "influence." Anyways, thanks for deciding to read, and please click that little button at the bottom of your screen that says review when you get to the end. =)

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter characters. This story will follow the Third Task in JKR's Goblet of Fire. The plot and the quotes and stuff come from there.

Chapter One: A Bad Feeling

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"Good luck, Harry," Hermione said as Harry walked slowly down the Great Hall and made his way to the Quidditch field. 

"Oh, do you think he'll be alright?" Hermione asked apprehensively.

"Yeah, should be," Ron answered. "We've gotten through stuff like this lots of times. Like in our first year..."

"Yes, but in our first year we were there to help him!" Hermione looked petrified. "We should've taught him more spells- we should have practiced harder..."

"He'll be alright, Hermione. Don't worry, Harry knows what he's doing." _At lease I hope so_, Ron added to himself.

People had now begun to make their way to the Quidditch field, buzzing excitedly about what was going to happen. The Weasley's and Hermione got up and walked down the stone steps onto the grounds.

When they reached the Quidditch field, they followed the crowd of excited students and found seats about halfway up the stands. Hermione nervously glanced down at where Professor McGonagall stood giving directions to Harry and the other champions, wishing she could hear what she was saying. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't break up the growing feeling of dread she had in the back of her mind that something horrible was going to happen. Suddenly, a magnified voice interrupted her worried thoughts and broke up the chatter buzzing in the stands. 

"Ladies and Gentleman, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each- Mr. Cedric Diggeroy and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!

At this, an eruption of cheering and applause exploded from the stands. Mr. Bagman continued to announce the other champions, but Hermione wasn't listening. She was too busy staring at the entrance to the maze and hoping that Harry would come back out of their alive. She barely noticed when he waved up at them and waved back almost subconsciously.

Suddenly, a loud short whistle blast shook her from her thoughts once more. She watched Harry and Cedric enter the dark mysterious maze. They disappeared. Sometime later, the whistle blew again, and Krum entered the maze. Then again, and Fleur disappeared in the mouth of the maze.

"So, that's it then?" Ron, looking almost as nervous as Hermione, asked.

"I suppose," answered Hermione, "We'll half to just wait and see."

It was extremely boring sitting there and not being able to see what was happening. Hermione's nerves, if possible, had increased and she occupied herself with talking to Ron. They kept themselves busy by making predictions as to what the outcome of the event would be. 

Sometime later, Hermione was becoming very anxious. "_When is something going to happen? We've been sitting forever! Oh, d'you think he's alright?"_

"He's alright, Hermione, don't worry. They haven't brought him out of the maze dead yet, have they?" Ron joked.

"It's not _funny_, Ron!" Hermione scolded him. "_Don't_ joke like that! Harry could be hurt and we don't know it-"

"Hermione, don't worry. It's alright."

"Oh, I hope so," Hermione said unconvinced.

No sooner had Hermione said this that a scream emitted from the maze.

"Oh my gosh!" Hermione yelled.

"What's happened?" A few students stirred groggily at the scream.

They watched Hagrid enter the maze and carry out an unconscious Fleur. A few people gasped.

"This is way too dangerous," Hermione declared. "What do they think they're playing at, letting a fourteen year old like Harry enter?! He could get _hurt_! He could get k-"

"Hermione!" Ron interrupted. "Listen to me. Harry will be _fine. Like I said before, he's done stuff like this lots of times. _He knows what he's doing_." _

"Oh, I hope you're right," Hermione said reluctantly.

Mrs. Weasley and Ginny left to go to the bathroom, leaving Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, and Bill in the stands. Perhaps George had noticed Hermione's anxiety because he leaned over and whispered to her.

"Don't worry, Hermione, Harry will be fine. Here, have a toffee. They always make me feel better." George offered, rubbing his stomach.

"Yeah, right, and turn into a slimy toad or something? I don't think so!" Hermione said sternly. It was just like Fred and George to offer her something like that as soon as his mother left. But the incident lightened the moment and Hermione felt a little better.

Hermione and Ron talked a little, but were interrupted from their uneasy conversation some time later when a second scream emitted from the maze. Hermione recognized this scream as Cedric's and began to panic. The crowd began whispering anxiously. A few minutes later, red sparks were sent up into the night and Moody emerged dragging an unconscious Krum. Hermione gasped. She watched as he was revived and brought over to Madam Pomfrey where Fleur was currently sitting with her mother and sister. Both Fleur and Krum looked quite shaken up, but they appeared to be fine. Hermione relaxed a little. So far, Harry seemed to be holding up alright. If he could only keep it up a little longer, he would be finished with this nerve-racking tournament for good.

Hermione and Ron went back to their conversation as several of the students got out games they had brought to keep them awake. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny returned with a few blankets and hot chocolate. Although it was a warm night, Hermione kept shivering with nerves. She and Ron wrapped themselves in a lavender blanket and resumed their conversation. Fred and George were deep in discussion over some sort of paper which they were shielding from view. Bill was reading a book on how to break simple curses, (Bill worked as a curse breaker for an Egyptian Gringott's bank), while Ginny looked interestedly over his shoulder, sipping her hot chocolate. Mrs. Weasley was knitting a pair of scarlet and gold socks that Hermione guessed she was going to give Harry when he got out of the maze. Hermione absentmindedly leaned her head on Ron's shoulder as they became too sleepy to talk. Everyone was peacefully absorbed in their activities when Hermione's head suddenly snapped up.

"Something's wrong," she said suddenly, "something's not right," she repeated. "Ron, something's wrong! They should have come out of the maze by now! They-"

"Hermione, what?" Ron asked groggily.

"I don't know, Ron, I just have this feeling that something's not right." Hermione looked very pale. "Mrs. Weasley, how long was this task supposed to take?"

"I'm not sure, Hermione," Mrs. Weasley answered, "but I'm guessing it should be over by now. Perhaps they hit some dead ends in that maze. I do hope Harry's alright...."

But Hermione couldn't shake the feeling that something wasn't right. Ron seemed to notice, because he put his arm around her shoulder and whispered in her ear.

"Don't worry, Mione, Harry's alright. He's probably just lost in the maze or something. He'll be out soon-"

But before Ron could finish, there was a sudden commotion down by the mouth of the maze. Hermione looked over the heads of students that had gotten up to see what was happening and saw Harry lying on the ground, face down, clutching the Triwizard Cup, and, to her surprise, Cedric. Neither of them was moving.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed as she got up, threw the blanket off her, and scrambled down the stands to see what was happening. She heard Ron trailing behind her. As she was running down the steps of the stands, she saw Dumbledore turn Harry over. She ran faster. Finally she reached the bottom of the stands and sprinted towards the entrance of the maze. 

Hermione screamed when she looked over the heads of people accumulating around them. 

"Oh my God, Harry!"

"Hermione, what! What is it?"

"Ron! Ron, he's... he's _dead_!"

"What?! No! He can't be! Harry? Harry!" He strained to look through the crowd.

"Not Harry, Cedric! He's dead! Oh my god, what happened?" 

Hermione watched as Harry was pulled to his feet by Dumbledore. He was unsteady and looked as though he was about to pass out. Hermione's breathing was now fast and uneven as she watched him limp away with Moody. She ran after them, but was stopped as she ran into Professor McGonagall.

"Excuse me, Professor-"

"Weasley! Miss Granger! Get up to the castle immediately."

"But, Professor- Harry!"

"Weasley, please escort Miss Granger to the Gryffindor common room. Wait there until I come and give you further instructions. You may see Harry later."

"Professor, what happened?" Hermione inquired anxiously.

"The common room, please, both of you."

Hermione and Ron had no choice but to follow the screaming crowd down the grounds and up the stone steps up to the school. They walked silently to the Gryffindor common room, too scared to say anything. They entered through the portrait hole and collapsed on one of the couches by the fire. Before they could say or do anything, Hermione laid her head on Ron's shoulder and fell asleep.

The sat there for what seemed like hours when finally the portrait door opened and someone entered.

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That's it for now. Now that you've read, click that little button down there that says review. Please? Let me know what you think. If you guys like it, then I'll add another chapter, covering when Hermione and Ron go up to the hospital wing to see Harry and stuff.

I saw this done by both Hermione G. Weasley and Fantine. They did such a good job with it that I wanted to write my own version.

Also, thanks to Feltonze Girl for beta reading this for me.


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